Speaker John Bercow accused of 'obscene waste' after claiming £172 for 0.7 mile journey

John Bercow spent £172 bill to be chauffeur-driven to a conference just 0.7 miles away from Parliament.

The journey - from the Commons to Carlton House Terrace - would have cost less than £15 in a taxi and taken around 14 minutes to walk.

The Commons Speaker also spent £367 taking a car to Luton to deliver a speech on how MPs were restoring their reputation after the expenses scandal.

Critics have accused Mr Bercow of "obscene waste", but a source close to the politician insisted he was "always mindful of costs".

A Freedom of Information request by the Press Association also revealed a number of other journeys the Speaker took to the cost of the taxpayer:

Video report by Romilly Weeks.

Mr Bercow is not believed to require an official car for security reasons.

In a statement to ITV News, a spokesman for the Speaker said a car service is often required to "facilitate timing requirements".

But TaxPayers' Alliance said the amount of "hugely expensive chauffeur-driven travel" showed "appalling judgment".

The Speaker's spokesperson added that overall expenditure for the Speaker's Office, during Mr Bercow's tenure, had fallen.

They said: "The Speaker is committed to cutting costs wherever possible, and the overall expenditure of the Speaker’s Office has fallen during his tenure from £626,029 in 2009/10 to £504,737 in 2014/15, representing a reduction of 19.4 percent since he was elected to the role.

"Whilst the Speaker tries to avoid travelling by car to fulfil his obligations wherever possible, situations do arise where doing so is the only viable option. In line with his ongoing policy of reducing expenditure, he intends to use the car service only in circumstances when it is absolutely necessary."